Cadillac SRX: Detroit's back, baby

Cadillac's redesigned badge consists of symmetrically arrayed blocks of colour that suggest military decoration.

Its platinum wreaths announce the brand's considerable self-esteem, one that by proxy, Cadillac owners have long claimed as their own.

With GM's recent paring down of its once bottomless stable of brands, it is no surprise that Cadillac — a brand whose name, at least in the American popular lexicon, is synonymous with top tier quality — has remained intact.

This quirk of language reveals itself in the tendency of my father's generation to use the Cadillac name as a simile, pointing out for example, that a Gibson Les Paul is "the Cadillac of electric guitars".

I'm deliberately mentioning this because, simply put, Cadillac is entrenched in my dad's market segment (male, over the age of 35) but has yet to extend its reach into a younger, or female market segment. In fact, I've never described anything as "the Cadillac of …" unless I was trying to explain its value to someone my dad's age — and I'm just shy of the Cadillac's sweet spot by a few years.

And so, as the Cadillac marketing and design team told me repeatedly, the new 2010 SRX crossover is intended to appeal to both loyal fans and automotive sceptics.

A new frontier

Starting with its iconic badge, Cadillac's design aesthetics cultivate a regal blend of both sharp and round geometrics. Working in a design vernacular that is at once modern, nostalgic, and above all American, the SRX's style might be interpreted as majestic, or simply pompous, depending on your pre-existing opinion of the brand.

Sitting in the driver's seat of the SRX at the Westlake Four Seasons test drive starting point, a champagne coloured Escalade pulled into the lot, a ball-cap-wearing Caddy fanboy lowered the rear passenger window and exclaimed, "Whoa man, that thing is gorgeous! When's it comin' out?"

My point is, Cadillac most likely has a home run on its hands with its crop of extremely brand-loyal followers. Simply put, if you like Cadillacs you're bound to find the SRX compelling from a design standpoint. As for the rest of us, a close inspection of the features and drive quality are in order.

Cadillac's multi-layered shield grille affects a smiling visage that parents and orthodontists will find oddly familiar. Its unique vertical headlamps, featuring light pipe technology and adaptive forward lighting constitute the SRX's Cheshire façade. At the rear, the vertically integrated brake lights are evocative of a bygone era when huge, almost nautical American cars featured swooping tail fins.

This SRX's bold face descends into a body that eases downward at the rear, giving it an aggressive, crouching profile. With 18 or 20in wheels on offer, SRX buyers can decide just how much wheel bling is right for them. The rearward edge of the roof extends into a spoiler, adding to the sleek appearance and improving the vehicle's aerodynamics.

Also echoing the Cadillac mantra of old — bigger is better — the SRX offers one of the largest sunroofs in the segment, exposing 70 per cent of the roof to Dubai's never ending supply of sunshine.

The SRX's hand-cut and sewn leather coverings, combined with a stirring instrument panel and ambient lighting details help convey a tidy and luxurious interior space. These attributes are evident outward as well, with illuminating Cadillac script logos in the front door sills that are activated when the doors are opened.

Another neat feature is the pop-up sat-nav screen, which offers three-dimensional imaging, and the adaptive forward lighting. You also get a power boot with programmable height setting, an integrated hard drive and a dual-screen system for rear entertainment. Naturally, Bluetooth capability is standard helping mobile phone crazed Dubai on the path towards hands free gossiping.

 The business end of it

As I strapped myself into the driver's seat, ready to go, the SRX felt a tad sluggish out of the gate. A decidedly defensive and law abiding driver by nature, I don't feel that the added torque afforded to the somewhat similar Audi Q5 necessarily makes it a better crossover, but I am concerned that the average GCC driver might find the SRX's direct injected 3.0-litre V6 slightly underpowered, especially in such a confident, aggressive-looking car. However, there will be a future turbo iteration of the SRX, with 300bhp. The six-speed, transverse, electronically controlled automatic transmission adeptly supports the V6 once under way, perhaps conspiring with the exhaust system to sacrifice the throaty sound that Cadillac fans might expect.

Interestingly, Cadillac has opted to omit paddle shifting, although in addition to Sport mode, which alters the shift point for a zippier, less fuel efficient ride, the SRX has a Driver Shift Control mode that is controlled at the shifter only.

Winding through the steep hills of Southern California's famous Mulholland Drive and Topanga Canyon, the SRX handled the hairpin turns and steep ascents with aplomb. It offers a very smooth ride and affords almost car-like handling that all crossovers aspire to.

The SRX clings to the road every bit as well as a Q5. Its all-wheel drive system includes an advanced electronic limited-slip differential that distributes torque as needed from side to side along the rear axle, as well as from the front to rear axle. And yet, since this system really shines in weather conditions that are fairly rare in our region, namely snow, sleet and rain, the SRX will fare better than any rear or front-wheel drive model on the sand.

Cadillac has a good car here, but it's still not a shot at best-in-class. But it will win the company new fans, at least through styling alone. Still, the average UAE driver will find the power aspect a bit underwhelming and may wish to wait to see if the turbo edition will make it over here.

Additionally, Cadillac style has a love it or hate it boldness that is equally likely to catch on or simply fade away. What is clear though, is that the SRX represents an earnest attempt to overcome that particularly stinging criticism of Detroit that has been in the air of late — they are trying to make a car that people really and truly want to own.

• Model: SRX
• Engine: 3.0-litre V6
• Transmission: Six-speed auto
• Max power: 265bhp @ 6,950rpm
• Max torque: 302Nm @ 5,100rpm
• Top: speed NA
• 0-100kph NA
• Price TBC
• Plus: Design, smooth ride, car-like handling
• Minus: Feels underpowered